Study of hydride blisters in Zr-alloy using neutron tomography

Abstract Formation of hydride blisters in Zircaloy pressure tubes of pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) is a major life limiting factor which hinders the safe and uninterrupted operation of the reactor. Nondestructive detection and evaluation of location and size of these blisters as well as hydride distribution in the matrix surrounding them may help in damage quantification and residual life extension. In this article we present the neutron tomography studies carried out on simulated hydride blister samples grown on Zircaloy tubes. Characterization on samples having various levels of hydrogen concentrations were also carried out for quantification of the detectability of our neutron tomography system. We could identify the spatial in-homogeneity of hydride concentration present in the samples. Quantitatively hydrogen concentration difference up to 25 wppm has been observed experimentally and calibrated against image intensity in the reconstructed image. This study establishes neutron tomography as a potential non-destructive evaluation tool for the estimation of the severity of damage in the integrity of the pressure tubes and provides valuable information about kinetics of blister formation.